[PEN-L:9628] Re: RE: US Gears Up

[Jim Devine <jdevine@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Concerning the Falun Gong cult in China, Jim Craven writes:
>I smell another "Lord of the Second Advent" or "Perfect Father" like Sun
>Myung Moon. ...
>I read about one person who was a member of this Falun Gong cult who ripped
>his stomach open with a knife looking for "the Wheel of Energy". There have
>been several other stories of self-damage of these cult members. The
>interest the US is taking in this cult suggests to me another vehicle of CIA
>penetration and social systems engineering campaigns either looming or
>actually in place.

The weirdness of people engaging in self-damage reminds me of some Western
European religious cults during the period of the Black Death. I'm no fan
of religion, especially cults, but the alleged popularity of this cult
(among middle-aged Chinese, I understand) suggests wide-spread discontent
with conditions in China, perhaps with the marketization trend and
increased insecurity.

It might be a CIA plot, but I doubt it: it's hard to imagine that the CIA
could mobilize such a large popular movement. And why would they want to?
The current government of China favors US investment there, complete with
guaranteed low wages and a union-free environment, while a fall of the CP
government would create massive disorder in the most populous country on
earth, i.e., more tsurris for the CIA.

The CIA might use this cult -- along with the Tibetan independence movement
and Taiwan -- to pressure China to agree with the US on trade issues and
the like. But I would bet that the US hates the idea of shaking up the
_status quo_ in the form of "social systems engineering campaigns."

Allegedly, one reason why the government is cracking down on this religion
is that its ideology is similar to the movement that encouraged the
overthrow of the last imperial dynasty. In any event, the reported large
size of this movement is a bad sign for the persistence of the population's
faith in the Chinese government.

-------

On the subject of cults: a Mormon friend of mine expressed fear and disgust
when we saw the large Scientology building in downtown Hollywood. Said I:
give 'em 100 years and they'll be totally respectable.

Jim Devine jdevine@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx &
http://clawww.lmu.edu/Faculty/JDevine/jdevine.html